Without Her
by Rizzamer
Summary: Urasaki attacks the leaf village and Sakura almost gives her life to heal everyone affected. What will happen to Uchiha Sakura? and how will Sasuke deal with her absence... read to find out.
1. She Falls

**A/N: **So following the latest episode of Boruto, Sasuke is said to be investigating Urasaki's whereabouts.

Well the story takes place sometime after when Urasaki strikes in Konoha again...

Reviews always appreciated.. it's only my second fanfic. ( I'll be writing this in a few chapters for suspense purposes I guess lol enjoy!)

The village of Konoha was attacked by a previously mentioned Otsutsuki clan member, Urasaki.

Although the village's structure is barely destroyed, the medical team has counted numerous injuries varying from superficial to lethal. While the nanadaime Uzumaki Naruto and his supporting shadow Uchiha Sasuke are fighting the enemy beyond the village's frontiers, their fellow team mate Uchiha Sakura, is using all her chakra reserves to heal the wounded.

The extremely skillful kinoichi is facing an enourmous challenge: the enemy has induced a fast spreading disease into the population; together with other medics and assistance from the Hyuga Clan, including former heiress Uzumaki Hinata, she analyses the disease's structure and quickly finds a cure.

Urasaki has cast the geographical area surrounding Konoha with a disease that slowly absorbs chakra from people whilst spreading it to the next as the chakra flows through the air to him. The members of team seven had then decided to put as much distance between him and his chakra reserves while they found a way to stop the epidemic.

Since the disease was transmitted through chakra, Sakura needed to find a way to release the antidote she had quickly found in large quantities through the same means.

As she was discussing the possibilities with Katsuyu the slug princess, an idea ran through her busy brain cells.

" We could release the chakra the same way we do for healing. Damn how did we not think about this... Katsuyu, if my chakra and yours are coated with the antidote we can transmit it to everyone around since your clones surround the village " she blurted out, somehow ashamed not to have thought about it immediately.

" Sakura-chan that's a great idea but... your chakra.." Katsuyu retorted in a sad voice.

Hinata who was standing by their side, used her Byakougan to check her friend's chakra levels... at this rate she will be knocked out for days. But she knew that Sakura always thought about everyone's health before hers. She could even lose the seal that she had spent years conserving her chakra to obtain.

" Sakura.. how certain are we that this will work?" Hinata added, a serious tone of concern in her voice.

Sakura looked up at her, the worry was evident in her soft eyes. " it's a fifty fifty actually... but it's all we got. To make sure we should pick a sample area and try our luck "

Sakura was in medic mode, Hinata noticed. It had been long since the village faced this type of medical threat, and she wanted to do everything to help.

" Then let me help you. My chakra reserves are still pretty full. I can't just sit here and watch " she offered

Sakura smiled at her friend who had not only inherited her Best friend's surname, but his zeal to help and protect others. They were definitely a perfect match, she thought.

" Hai, let's do this!" She happily responded while Katsuyu got her clones ready for the intervention.

The early morning breeze was slowly coming over to Konoha's AN gated; Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, two half-god Shinobi we're walking back towards the village, completely battered from their bloodlust filled fight with the Otsutsuki member. The man had been killed in the same way as his fellow clan member, though the dobe's son was not present to give the final blow.

" Daaamn. Do you think Sakura-chan will have enough chakra left to heal us ? Cause I'm going to have some crazy work after this nightmare " he spoke happily to his brother, reminiscing all the times they had successfully knocked out an enemy together during their genin days.

" Hn... don't be too hopeful. We don't even know what happened with the disease . She might still be trying to cure everyone so we'll wait" he retorted in an almost warning tone to his voice.

" Hai hai you're right. But I'm sure she's taken care of it. The Hyuga were also there to help with chakra so I hope she's not overworked herself " said the blonde, a tone of compassion in his voice. Even if they were dealing with the fight, Sakura's mission was just as difficult to handle — nothing was ever easy with that damn clan, he thought.

His only wish was that his best friend was safe and sound; it was his duty after all to protect the villagers, and even if Itachi had warned him not try and do everything by himself, he would certainly not forgive himself if his sister got hurt in his place— he still had that overprotectiveness over her, no matter how strong she had become.

Sasuke on the other side, had learned to trust his wife more than anyone else: he knew at the back of his mind that she had found a solution to the epidemic, though he was sure, she was going to be even more tired than he was.

He might as well spend a couple of days at home, his battered body cuddled against his chakra-depleted wife's would surely increase both of their healing— he inwardly smirked at this thought.

And so the two Shinobi made their way to the village,both trusting their comrade to have wrapped up the mission. Though they didn't expect what happened on their arrival.

They totally didn't.


	2. The Aftermath

**A/N: **Sooo... how did you find the first chapter? I left a lot of plot holes just so you could have your shot at guessing, it's a fanfic after all.

Enjoy the next glimpse

Reviews are always welcomed guys, tell me what you think , that might help to write the story *

* * *

The sun shone bright above the busy streets of Konoha as the afternoon begun; somewhere below the Kage Stone Faces, the Hokage's tower was beaming with people walking up and down in a hassle .Uchiha Sasuke walked through the building into the Hokage's office, where he was to meet with Kakashi, Shikamaru and Naruto to discuss the current situation of the village after Urasaki's attack. They had just started speaking when he stepped into the room interrupting Shikamaru's debriefing.

He leaned aside on a wall and urged for them to finish before he would say anything.

" I guess we can call ourselves lucky overall. Most infrastructures are untouched, and economic activities have resumed just fine. According to the health department, no death has been registered, and all traces of the disease are gone." He concluded, putting down the stack of paper reports he was reading from.

He looked around the room, and waited to see who would speak first:

Naruto was sitting at his desk, hands interwined under his chin; Kakashi was standing by the window pane peering into nothing; Sasuke was still leaning by the wall, eyes closed listening to Nara's words.

" what about Urasaki? Did you guys get any meaningful intel on them? " it was Kakashi who spoke first, turning his head sideways to look at Naruto, somehow lost in his thoughts.

" I had a quick look at his memories, just a flash. It's not like he's given me a map or any scroll but that should help in my investigation" Sasuke said sharply. He was heading out again to continue tracking down the Clan's whereabouts on earth and beyond.

" are you going back already ?" Questioned Naruto, a sad look on his features. He knew that Sasuke wanted to stay by Sakura's side but the intel he got could become meaningless if he didn't act fast enough.

Sasuke simply gave a slight nod as response before Kakashi turned completely from the window to face him. " Aah I see. There's probably something new you can find with the few clues you got..." he paused for a moment, turning back slightly to the window before he continued " Anyway... Shizune said she'll be watching out for Sakura. Her condition seems to be similar to what Tsunade experienced after Pain's assault years ago" he finished, his voice indecipherable as always.

" Then there's no say when she'll wake up I guess. It's only been a week after all... it's kind of troublesome since she has a lot of responsibilities in the medic department, and there's some tasks that she alone can handle so Shizune can't help much there" Shikamaru reflected.

"Ahh.. that was to be expected " Sasuke said, fully aware of his wife's importance in Konoha.

" Hmmh... her subordinates are indeed having a tough time even with Shizune's help... I reached out to Tsunade who said she'll be coming to help too... but still " Naruto answered, removing his chin from his hands .

" She's always been an indispensable asset even while I was in office " Kakashi added, as if reading Sasuke's thoughts. One would wonder how she managed to raise a child on her own with all her responsibilities — he thought.

"Hn.. . Well if there's nothing else I'll leave the rest to you" Sasuke simply answered, quitting his previous position and heading for the door. He held the doorknob when Naruto looked up at him.

" Hey! Did you tell Sarada you're leaving at least?" He burst out at his friend, thoughtful of what Sakura would think if her child were to stay on her own for weeks.

" and where do you think I'm going to.. dobe" he turned his head slightly towards his friend's direction.

Naruto let out a sigh and waved his hands in the air " Fine...fine. At least tell her I said she can stay with us if she doesn't want to be by herself... though I wonder if I shouldn't ask Hinata about it first" he nervously scratched the side of his head with a prosthetic finger, remembering that his wife didn't like when he did things without informing her first.

Kakashi, who was looking towards Naruto chuckled at his reaction... marriage was sure the only thing he didn't need in his life. " well I'd be glad to take care of my student's daughter too... I think I owe Sakura that much" he cheerfully said to no one in particular, turning back to face the window.

Almost immediately, Sasuke turned his head towards the door again " I would be more at peace if she were staying alone than with you Kakashi. And I doubt she'd get along with the dobe's son in the same house. Those two would drive your wife crazy..." he stated and opened the door before concluding " ... though I guess the choice is hers to make...I'll tell her." and in a spilt second he was out, heading for his appartement.

Shikamaru somehow followed along to light up a cigarette outside the building... what a drag to walk all the way there, he thought.

Kakashi didn't know if he had to be hurt by his student's harsh statement . Everyone knew he was one of the best cook of the village, and for someone who's single he was taking quite good care of himself. No to mention that he could manage squad 7 when they were on missions. There was no reason he couldn't take care of yet another 12 year old. But Sasuke was Sasuke, it couldn't be helped.

" I hope Sakura-Chan wakes up soon... that idiot won't say it but he's getting mad from worrying about her " Naruto interrupted his thoughts and Kakashi looked at him again.

" I could tell the same for you...Naruto." He replied softly, while heading for the door.

" Ah... it can't be helped I guess" he let out a sigh and a faint smile, his features weary with fatigue.

Kakashi broadly smiled back at him before exiting the room. The blonde let out a louder sigh as he went back to the pile of work waiting on his desk.

* * *

**A/N: **Soooo what did you think? I know it's pretty short but next one will be a little longer I promise ( just a little SasuSara moment hehe)

Now that we know Sakura is in coma, what do you guys want to see happening? I want to write more chapters in between what I already got so give me ideas.

« « « « please share if you like the story

**Mata kondo na !**


	3. Longing

**A/N: Konnichiwa**.

First of all thank you to the sweeet hearts who have been posting reviews and adding my story to their fav and everything, I smile so much when I receive email alerts of reactions to my story.

Soooo today's chapter is a kawaii Papa Sasuke moment with his girl before he leaves for his mission. (Quick sasusaku moment at the end too XD)

Enjoy!

* * *

"Tadaima, Sarada" called out Sasuke, as he skillfully and single-handedly ( not that he had the choice) took out his sandals and his cloak at the entrance.

"Coming papa," cried out his daughter who had just finished cooking something in the kitchen. She turned off the stove and went to greet her father.

"Okaeri, papa" she smiled at him as they met in the middle of the hallway.

"Hn... " Sasuke smiled softly at the sight of his daughter in her mother's apron which almost fit her perfectly; she was getting taller by the day's count—not that his wife was particularly tall after all ( again, not that he didn't like her short petite boby just the way it was), he chuckled inwardly as he inhaled the delicious odor coming out from their kitchen.

" Have you been home all this time?" He asked her after looking up and down at her for a moment.

" No. I went to check up on mama earlier..." she paused to see if he wanted to comment on that before she continued " Have you even eaten anything at all papa? I just made some food" she told him, no questioning tone in her voice.

"Aah... I'm sorry Sarada. I'm heading out for a mission right now, I just came to say goodbye" he smiled at her, trying to wave away the disappointment that would surely come from her next words.

"So?..." is all she replied, folding her arms and twitching an eyebrow at him before she quickly continued. " I wasn't asking if you had time for lunch papa, I was telling you to come and eat. I already knew you'd be going today anyway. I even made you a bento." She rolled her eyes and took her fingers to poke her glasses up, a way to say she was speaking matter-of-fact-ly.

Sasuke was surprised by her sudden bossing around. She was definitely her mom's child that kid, he smirked to himself. " really?...How did you know?" He simply asked, avoiding the actual topic.

" I just did. I'm your daughter am i not?" She shrugged with a playful smile on her lips.

"Hn..." he replied and silence enveloped the hallway.

"Well... the faster you come and eat , the earlier you get going, but I'm not letting you leave this house without eating. You can eat the bento I made for dinner " she unfolded her arms and put one hand on her waist ( seemingly a common mannerism among the three Uchihas) giving him a glare.

" Hn... you're really not letting me have my way Sarada... " he repeated the gesture with his sole hand and sighed. They continued the argument with their eyes ( eyesmex was definitely another mannerism in the family)

"fine let's go, the food must be getting cold" he resigned after a moment and made his way to the kitchen and she clasped her hands together with a bright smile on her face before following him. He probably shouldn't have taken off his cloak, or come home at all;not that he wasn't pleased at the idea of eating something his daughter made for him.

He sat on the dinner table while Sarada served the food. There was an air of longing in the room, an emptiness. None of them said it, but they wished Sakura was there to share yet another meal with them.

" Has Shizune said anything?... about Sakura" he asked while she sat across him at the table.

" Nothing she hasn't told you I 's kind of impossible to know when she'll wake up. But physically she's in good health, her body has slowly recovered from the excessive chakra she used " she said softly, trying not to sound too sad.

"Good then..." he started, looking at her in the eyes; onyx facing onyx. There was silence for a moment before he continued " Don't put up that sad face, your mom will be fine Sarada" he smiled at her trying to confort her the best he could.

" Do you really...have to go?... papa" she looked away from him to hide her saddened face and Sasuke couldn't stop thinking of what Sakura said when he left the village after the war. The thought of someone not wanting him to leave, to feel needed and welcomed by someone somewhere; Sakura had given him all of that. The scene before him was quite similar although Sarada was a little bit far from his reach for a forehead poke.

"I have new clues on my investigation I got from Urasaki; I need to explore all of them as soon as I can. I'll be back when I'm done with that.. so don't worry." he smiled at her again, surprised at himself for revealing even a little detail of his mission to his daughter. Though he trusted her to be mature enough, it must've been because he really missed his wife.

Sakura normally acted as his diary: every time he was home they would spend nights talking about his mission and her work at the hospital, like an old couple on retirement reminiscing. When he came home after the incident with Shin ( he would never call him an Uchiha), they had spent a sleepless night talking about their lives while they were away from each other. She was tired ( so was he to be honest, but being with her again after so long was enough to keep him up all night) and chakra depleted, but that didn't stop her from asking a million questions and he answered more than he thought he would. Everything was so natural with her; home always felt good indeed.

" Hmm...Just don't go doing something reckless. Though I doubt you're that type of Shinobi " she finally smiled. Happy to have caught just a bit of her dad's next whereabouts — her plan had worked perfectly, she chuckled inwardly at the thought.

Sarada had somehow started getting along with her dad; he was still annoying sometimes, but it couldn't be helped. And if she was careful, she could always spot his soft eyes and minor smiles here and there when he was with her, and that warmed her heart to extents she wouldn't quite like to admit. Her papa was not one to show much expression, it was always hard to decipher his feelings, but that didn't mean he didn't have time she became convinced of had even heard his voice one night, casually laughing at something Sakura had said; he probably reserved those moments for her alone— she smiled inwardly at the thought.

"Hn.. before I forget... I know you'll be fine here by yourself... but...Naruto said you could stay at his place until Sakura wakes up... that is if it's fine by his wife " he snapped her out of her thoughts, refusing to give her the option to stay with Kakashi; that old man will surely tell her crazy stories about team 7 and he surely didn't want his daughter to know about his early childhood self.

Sarada beamed at the news " whaat! Nanadaime said that... of course I would be glad to, it's too boring here without mom anyway; I wouldn't mind spending time with Himawari. If you think about it she's even more mature than stupid Boruto. Guess I'll ask his mom about it then " she rambled her every thought on the matter.

" Well don't go giving her a hard time. You and Boruto are always arguing over one thing or the other " he said, trying not to sound too relieved that she would be staying in a safe place while Sakura was _absent. _He would never say it, but he was always so grateful for the dobe in his life. He didn't want Sarada to stay by herself but he also didn't feel like asking anyone to take care of her— the eternal pride of an Uchiha.

" Pfff.. we have team training with Konohamaru sensei these days so at least I'll make sure he's not late every day to drag us down " she pouted at him.

" Hn...let's eat then." he took his chopsticks and waited for her to do same.

When they had said their thanks they started eating and Sarada shyly told him about deserting the village weeks ago to save Mitsuki.

Sasuke barely said anything except for a few nods and glances since Sakura had told him everything. Besides, Aoda had spilled the tea on their little trip just after the kids had left, he couldn't wait to tell his master how glad he was to finally meet his daughter, and of course he warned him about the mission they had gone to carry was worried but from Aoda's description of the kids he could tell that she had gone with Boruto and the ino-shika-cho trio. Somehow he knew Sarada wouldn't do anything reckless, plus Shikamaru's kid was just like his dad ( talk about a savage), so he needed not to he was proud of his daughter( the dobe's son somehow had a positive impact on her.) He didn't want her to have twisted judgments like he did when he was younger, although he knew she wouldn't since she was just like his wife.

_Just like his wife, Sakura _

_Sakura..._

_How he wished she could wake up already._

_He might as well go and see her before leaving for his mission._

_Just to check up on her— _he thought.

* * *

**_A few hours later..._**

_I really miss you... Sakura. _

He whispered into the emptiness of the room, his hand in hers. She was peacefully lying on a hospital room bed, her normally glowing skin was now awfully pale; how could they say she was healthy, damn. She looked... dying.

_Dying..._

He forced himself not to think about it, about losing her, losing his home. How would Sarada react? How would he react?

Naruto had removed his heart from the darkness, but Sakura was the one who kept him away from it. Those pink tresses and emerald eyes were all it took for him to forget the indelible stains on his heart, the broken heart that he had put in her hands and she had preciously kept with her. And when Sarada came to life, they both shared a part of their hearts in her somehow.

If Sakura was to die— even if a part of her would still live in their daughter—he would lose a part of his heart, and he was definitely not ready to lose someone else who mattered so much.

_The bastards would pay..._

He thought about the orge's clan. He was going to take all of them down if that's what it took for his family to finally have peace, even if he was the one to die. But they had to live, his girls, they had to keep living.

So with a last soft kiss on her forehead, he quickly made his way to his next location to finish his mission as fast as he could so he could come back to her, like he always did.

* * *

**A/N:** so what did you think about this chapter ?

I hope you like the subtle brackets I put here and there with stuff only real SasuSaku fans will have noticed lool.

Since I don't really know how long it took for Tsunade to wake up from her coma, I don't know how much longer it will be before Sakura wakes up.

The main chapter of this story is the conversation she has with Sasuke when she wakes up, which was supposed to be a one shot but I thought about having some family moments as well so the next chapter will focus on Sarada and the Uzumaki's having dinner or something lol.

If you love the story please shareeee I'm still new here I don't have many friends

**Mata kondo na !**


	4. Bonds

**A/N:Konnichiwa **

It's been forever lmao with all the hype about retsuden I forgot I was writing this fic until SP released the latest boruto EP( not gonna write any fight scenes though, I suck at those)

Also I have no idea why but no matter how much I proof read my work, there's always parts missing when I publish and I got **zero** clue why

ANYWAYYYY thank you for reading, I'm so so trying to wrap this story up before I have to start uni but procrastination is that beeee so you never know.

Enjoy!

* * *

Sarada had been living in the Uzumaki household for almost two weeks now; her days with the Hokage's family mainly consisted of: dragging Boruto out of his bed to get ready for training and making breakfast with Hinata, training all day with her team, going to the hospital with Boruto to see her mom, and getting home for dinner with everyone.

If there were lucky days, like today, Naruto would even make it home to rest or just to eat before going back to work.

So, Himawari was cooking with her mom and Sarada, while Boruto was cleaning up the mess he had caused while trying to 'help out' when a sound was heard from the front door of the Uzumaki household.

" I'm home!" It was Naruto who spoke, the tone of his voice clearly indicating just how tired he was.

As soon as his voice was heard through the kitchen, a smile rose to Hinata's face and a shade of pink could be seen on her delicate features.

Himawari completely forgot about the onions she was slicing and ran towards the porch; no matter how tall she was getting, she would never miss an occasion to wrap her hands around her dad's neck for an embrace when he came home unexpectedly.

Boruto, on the other hand, was trying hard as he could to hide the joy he felt that his father had been coming home more often than usual.

' He's too busy trying to act cool to enjoy his father's presence ' Sarada thought to herself once. At least he's always in the village, not like a certain someone.

" Welcome home daddyyyyy! " screamed Hima as soon as she got to the entrance.

She jumped over to him and he obliged to her hug; Naruto was surely exhausted, but those blue eyes and dark hair reminded him of just why he was doing all that he did— perhaps although they weren't many, he cherished the few moments he could spend with his stayed like that for a moment before Sarada appeared behind them.

" Welcome home Ojisan ! " she smiled happily at her role model, while wondering if she would look that tired everyday when she becomes Hokage.

Himawari let go of her dad and they walked towards the living room where Hinata had entered to wait for them while Boruto had just finished cleaning.

" Are you going on retirement already? The village must have realized that an old man your age needed to rest" Boruto proudly teased his father, their funny way of greeting each other.

Boruto was growing into an amazing Shinobi but he was still a kid when it came to his relationship with Naruto, any sarcasm was good enough to subtly say he was happy to see his dad at home.

"How was your training with Konohamaru today?" he smiled at his son while taking a seat on the couch.

"Ahhhh... the routine. We're just perfecting our team work and skills we already know everything about" he declared, crossing his hands behind his head the same way Naruto used to do when he was bragging about something .

"Pff.. just because you're getting better at shuriken throwing doesn't mean you should stop training " Sarada pouted at him.

" yeah yeah..." he kept bragging.

Naruto smiled broadly at the scene before him which reminded him of his childhood memories.

" Shall we get dinner started? Mama has made my favorite today" Himawari cheerfully said and soon after everyone was getting to the dining table .

As the whole family ate together while chatting with one another , Sarada couldn't help but feel a flutter of happiness overcome her. She missed her own family so much, but somehow she felt a little bit at ease being there .Sakura had told her how close she had always been with Naruto and Hinata so it was somehow normal that they felt like family right? After all she'd never forget when Naruto told her that bonds were not only made of blood but mostly feelings.

When dinner was over Naruto sat back on the couch with Himawari who was proudly showing him her newest drawings. Hinata took it on herself to wash the dishes since she knew the kids were exited to spend yet another precious evening with Naruto.

" Woow Hima I'm impressed, your skills have improved so much. You're giving Sai a run for his money. I wonder where you get that talent from" he grinned at his daughter while patting her head as she was sitting on his laps.

" thank you papa. Inojin actually gave me some lessons lately, though I'm not able to make the drawings come to life like him" she happily retorted swinging her legs above his.

" yeah really. I'll always prefer your drawings to his anyway" he grinned again. Himawari smiled and took him in yet another hug as thank you and he obliged. When she let go first ( he always stayed for as long as she wanted the hug to last) she almost screamed into his shoulder blade.

" papa! Say why don't you tell us a story from your childhood?"

Boruto and Sarada were sitting across them on another couch, the former playing video games while the latter sharpened her kunai blades. Both of them looked up at Hima's statement.

"A story huh? What do you guys want to hear this time?" He looked up to meet their curious eyes.

Boruto immediately tried to look uninterested again, but then he muttered "Aah, why don't you give us some anecdotes on team 7, since Sarada so badly wants us to do better than you guys" he said. He would clearly not admit that he was dying to hear more of Sasuke and Naruto 's fights since he saw them battle Momoshiki.

"Hm that sounds nice, but just a short one before bed time then" Naruto replied and he started narrating Team Seven's most memorable mission together in the Land of Waves. His eyes, along with those of the kids were sparkling as he told the beautiful story with absolutely no exaggeration.

He didn't fail to notice both Sarada and Boruto's admiration for Sasuke when he mentioned how brave he had been as he put his life on the line both for Sakura and Naruto during that mission— they didn't seem to care that Kakashi had actually saved the former, and only Sasuke's "instincts" were to praise for saving the latter.

It warmed Sarada's heart to hear stories about her parents when they were genin; although she was less insecure about her parents profound love for each other now as they spent more time together and she could see for herself that their feelings were connected, she still had some doubts on just how much they could love each other with all the distance that put them apart.

So hearing about their relationship before they became romantically involved with each other helped her to understand just how strong their bond is.

When Naruto was done with his story telling, Hinata ushered the kids to go to bed and Himawari stood up from her father's lap after giving him a good night kiss; Boruto handed his console to his mom as he was not allowed to go to bed with it, since she knew he would end up playing the whole night. Sarada placed her equipment in her backpack and made her way to the staircase when Naruto called out to her.

"Hey Sarada, I got a letter from Sasuke today" she heard him say and turned around to ask "really! What did he say? Is he alright?" She stammered a bit in her sentence but Naruto understood what she meant.

"He's alright, but his mission is kind of in a dead spot right now. I'm sorry I can't tell you much about it, but he might have to be out there for another three weeks or so"

Sarada's expression saddened a little after the words registered in her mind before Naruto added "He asked about you and said you shouldn't get too worried over your mom"

'Just how do I do that' she wanted to ask furiously but she knew Naruto was just conveying Sasuke's message, the latter just trying to watch out for her although he had to be away.

She smiled visibly at the thought and nodded towards Naruto "Ask him not to worry too much either, about mom and me" she gave a goodbye nod and left the living room after Naruto smiled back at her with a broad grin which was similar to her mom's.

She slept that night praying for her mother to wake up so that she could see that smile again.

* * *

Awfully short chapter but nvm I'll post again soon

**Mata kondo na !**


	5. His thoughts

**A/N: Konnichiwa!**

It's been forever people. I'm so so sory for not updating for so long but college has been hell so far.

I'm just so excited with all the SS scenes that we are getting lately, I HAAAD to update lol.

It's super short sorry but enjoy!

Please rate and review.

* * *

It had been two weeks since he left the village to investigate the various clues that he got from his last battle with Urasaki, and still there wasn't much that he had discovered.

There were four different clues in total: patterns written on a scroll that he recognized and could decipher if he found it; intel on the whereabouts of the clan members who came to earth, including Kaguya; a snippet from Urasaki's memory where he had seen a forest land that sounded familiar; and a code, or rather coordinates, that according to his line of thought, could help him access a new dimension.

Sasuke had faith in his gut instincts, and they were telling him that only the fourth clue was worth the search; but to kill any doubts, he had started by eliminating the chances of the other three having potential by investigating them all before the last. He gave himself one month to gather everything that he could from the first three clues, mindful of the fact that it took a lot of time to travel from one of these—rather remote—locations to the other no matter the means of transport used.

So at the end of the second week, he had already finished investigating the first two clues and was taking a break near a tree before heading for the forest where he would work on the next.

His mind was deep in his thoughts when he heard the sound of a bird above the sky; he took away his hand that was covering his eyes and looked up at the sky to see his hawk flying in a centripetal manner, awaiting for orders to land. Sasuke lifted up his hand, and in response the hawk left the circular path and flew towards the right hand in a straight line, tangent to the imaginary circle. When it perceived the knuckles of Sasuke's hand, its wings blew the wind in the opposite direction to oppose the force that had driven it down the line, and he landed safely on his index finger, a note attached to its claw.

In a gentle manner, the raven haired man untied the pieces of paper and set the hawk back into the air. He opened the note, and directly recognized his best friend's handwriting— which had clearly not changed much even after he became a Kage— and somehow he was reminded of _that_ day:

"_So eh I talked to Sakura… this time… you're like the police force" _

Those words that made him turn on his feet so many years ago, heading for the very village he had resented for ostracizing his family and entire clan up until their deaths. Even when the blonde had convinced him against the path of darkness, the pain in his chest, the burning sensation of what was left of his heart, the atrocities he saw through his brother's memories—he could not yet forgive, and so much less forget. When he set forward on his journey, a promise in mind and a forehead protector in hand, he was looking for answers to so many questions, remedies to so many aches in his chest; he had to find peace with himself before he could go back to those people who never gave up of him, on the thought of saving him, even when they had resolved to kill him, they somehow tried to bring him back.

Meeting Chino had somehow answered a few questions. When Oyashiro narrated the story of his clan to Sasuke, about the Uchiha's implications in the death of a whole clan, he surely thought karma was definitely not someone to play with. He was the last survivor of a resented and feared clan, but so was Chino (unbeknownst to him that Oyashiro was also a member), and if Konoha was responsible for his suffering, the Uchiha were responsible for hers. She was left with no family, no home to return to, no one to love; their stories were so similar that the wave of regret in his heart grew bigger at the thought.

After the incident, he realized that there was truly no justice in this world, as Shisui had once said to his older brother; he was in no place to resent the whole village for the actions of a group of people, as much as he would never want the blame to be put on someone as kindhearted as his brother for what happened to Chino's clan so many years ago.

The words in that letter were most certainly what has been driving him to work from the shadows all these years: _like the police force, like Itachi. _Those thoughts had crossed his mind and without a second thought he headed back to the village.

"_Okaeri, Sasuke-kun" _

Those words, they had so much meaning; home. Sakura had always been his home, the place he could return to, where he had someone to love and to be loved by.

It dawned on him as he read Naruto's letter— which was just giving feedback on his latest mission report and some notes on Sarada and Sakura— if it hadn't been for that letter, and meeting Chino, maybe he wouldn't have gone home at that time, or maybe not at all; and if he had stayed away a little longer maybe she would have given up on him. He wouldn't have spent the most amazing years of his life travelling with her, admiring her as she helped every single person in need, falling in love with her like they were twelve again. It was Sakura who helped him find peace with himself again, and for that he would always be grateful to her. But if she had to go, to lose yet another person he loved so deeply, maybe he wouldn't be able to take it. It had already registered within him that the world was not fair, with _anyone_, but if something like that were to happen…

_Please, wake up Sakura._

* * *

**A/N:**

I feel like making Sakura wake up next chapter or trying my luck witha fight scene between Urasaki and Naruto and Sasuke or BoruSaraMitsu moment or i don't know i don't know.

Anyway we'll see haha.

Happy time of the Advent to those who celebrate Christmas.

**Mata Kondo Na!**


End file.
